Zuma was giving his assessment of the African Union (AU) summit, which had just ended here.

He noted that he and his fellow leaders had discussed Africa’s growing concerns with the manner in which the ICC had conducted itself in relation to African countries.

Zuma said that in a discussion on the ICC and the Rome Statute, he had expressed South Africa’s concerns.

“Our strongly held view is that it is now impossible, under the circumstances, for South Africa to continue its participation in the Rome Statute,” said Zuma.

“South Africa is seriously reviewing its participation in the Rome Statute and will announce its decision in due course,” he told the summit.

Zuma’s threat to withdraw from the ICC came in the wake of the last AU simmit, in Sandton last June which was attended by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is a fugitive from the ICC for alleged atrocities in Darfur.

South Africa as a member of the ICC was obliged to arrest him. The North Gauteng High Court also issued an order to the government to arrest him, both because of its obligations to the ICC and because the ICC Rome Statute has been incorporated into South African law.

But the government did not arrest him and the same court ruled that it had broken the law and contravened the Constitution.

The ICC has asked for an explanation of South Africa’s failure to arrest Al-Bashir.

Zuma said he was pleased with the outcomes of the summit, which were “substantive.”

He said the summit had noted with satisfaction that the AU was rolling out the first 10-year-implementation plan of its ambitious Agenda 2063 development plan and member states had begun linking their national developmental plans with it.

Zuma is chair of the Presidential Infrastructure Championing Initiative to fasttrack regional infrastructure projects of Nepad – the AU’s New Partnership for Africa’s Development. (NEPAD) He presented a report on the progress made in infrastructure development.

Zuma expressed his pleasure at the re-election of South Africa as a member of the AU Peace and Security Council for a two-year term.

He noted the summit had also discussed security in Burundi, South Sudan, Libya and the Democratic Republic of Congo among others.

Zuma welcomed the decision to revive the AU High Level Panel on Libya “which had worked effectively a few years ago”.

He said he was also pleased with the appointment of former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete as the AU Special Envoy to Libya.

The decision would help the AU get the warring parties in Libya to resolve their differences.

Zuma said the summit decision to send a delegation to Burundi “to assess the political and security situation and to discuss the proposed deployment of the AU peacekeeping force with the government of Burundi is a step in the right direction”.

we didn't stand a chance to stay on even if we wanted to, we defied one ICC instruction and that was to arrest Al Bashir and hand him over for war crimes. we allowed a mass murderer in our country and we gave him avant-garde treatment and assured him off in style.

Malamula point of correction not we he Zupta defied that unfortunately under SA pretext and he is now opening ways to Sudan so that him and friend al Bashir don't struggle to see each other, hence why I am everyday asking why South Africans turn a blind eye against these obvious not educated criminal? SA isn't now considered one of terrorist favourite sites and the world is viewing it as a dangerous place which doesn't deserve to be on this universe.

He won't survive watch the space the problem is he does have a brainless head and he thinks people don't see what he is doing and even a two year old can spot him all the time. Mr Africa big continent.

This posture of the AU and Zuma's anc, is not from the perspective of African citizens, who often in many countries in Africa, must live , barely, under the yoke of greedy murdeous despots. But it comes from those same despots theyselves, in order to protect crazy corrupt unjust regimes.

Frm the perspective of long suffering citizens it dont matter whether Blair and Bush have been punished or not, but the African child is crying to be freed from oppression by African despots and be given justice, today. African despots are justifying and continuing their rape of innocent people on the basis that Bush and Blair must go first before ICC. And we Africans applaude these murderous despots as heroes, simply because they occasionaly take a brake from screwing us to swear at the "west".

Funny how jacob makes decisions like these, not because its in the best interest of South Africa, but because its in the best interests of his mass-murdering friends, accused of war crimes, including mass rapes of entire towns and villages. From the mothers, to the daughters, to the babies.

zuma is pure stupid and he has never deserved to be president in this country only people like him fought for him to be there so they can loot the monies of this poor country good they are now fighting. I keep asking myself what does he learn from xi ping (china, Mugabe, Bashir, guptas, etc) as those people are all not good, he is a president maybe ICC should consider arresting him now, damn how I hate the guy fu****c****k.

Africa has the majority of the seats in the ICC. To a large degree, the ICC is an African institution. The problem is that it is not controlled by the Dictator Club known as the AU. The first thing the AU will do is to set up a joke of a court system which will have Joseph Kony as the head judge, Bashir as the prosecutor and Mugabe as judge president.

The argument is always that they have more cases against African leaders ... well if African leaders didn't slaughter their own people, there would be no case to answer to - not so? Our people seem to think that African lives are cheap as chips as only Arabic lives matter to us. It is fine to rape and murder African babies, just don't be nasty to some Middle Eastern suicide bomber!

MommaC yes most Africans tend to turn a blind eye even on sensitive issues, the tend to support criminals as they believe the criminal will support them financially and be surprised after as he kills them after getting their supports.

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